Celtics' Payton Pritchard: With second unit for Game 1
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Pritchard will come off the bench for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday versus Atlanta, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Pritchard drew the starting nod in the Celtics' regular-season finale and logged a 30-point triple-double in 46 minutes. However, he is expected to retreat to his usual role as a depth piece in the backcourt and will likely struggle to crack Boston's playoff rotation.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Historic triple-double as starter
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Pritchard closed Sunday's 120-114 victory over Atlanta with 30 points (10-21 FG, 9-16 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 14 rebounds and 11 assists across 46 minutes.
Pritchard got a starting nod Sunday due to Boston resting numerous regular starters in the regular-season finale, finishing the win with a 30-point triple-double while leading all players in scoring, rebounds, assists and threes made. Pritchard posted a career-high point total in his first-ever triple-double, becoming the third player in franchise history to score 30 points with at least 13 rebounds and 11 assists, joining John Havlicek and Larry Bird. His role should decrease in the postseason since several key contributors should be back in action.
Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Will start regular-season finale
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Pritchard will start Sunday against the Hawks, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
The Celtics are resting numerous regulars after locking up the No. 2 seed, so Pritchard draws the start at shooting guard and will be joined by Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Mike Muscala and Blake Griffin. Across his previous two starts this season, Pritchard has averaged 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.5 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Scores 22 off bench
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Pritchard posted 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-8 3Pt), four rebounds and five assists across 24 minutes during Friday's 121-102 win over the Raptors.
With Marcus Smart sitting out Friday (neck), Pritchard saw solid minutes in his return after missing the last four games and 13 of the last 14 with a heel injury. Any concerns of looking rusty quickly went away as he led all reserves with 22 points, hitting four shots from deep, and added some nice assist and rebound numbers. The third-year guard is seeing incremental improvements in his season averages. Most noteworthy might be his playing time, as he's seen 19.2 minutes per game, five minutes better than last year.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Takes part in shootaround
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Pritchard (heel) was on the floor for morning shootaround Friday, Bobby Manning of the Boston Sports Journal reports.
Pritchard was listed as questionable for Friday's contest but is seemingly on track to join in on the action if shootaround is any indication. Neither Marcus Smart (neck) nor Malcolm Brogdon (back) was spotted, which could line Pritchard up for more minutes than usual if he gets the green light.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Set to play Friday
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Pritchard (heel) is available for Friday's game versus the Raptors, Jay King of The Athletic reports.
Pritchard has been upgraded from questionable to available Friday despite some left heel soreness. While he has barely seen any playing time the past two months, Marcus Smart's (neck) and Malcolm Brogdon's (back) absences should open up room in the rotation for Pritchard.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Iffy for Friday
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Pritchard (heel) is questionable for Friday's game against the Raptors, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Pritchard continues to deal with a lingering heel issue and is in danger of missing a third straight game. However, even when he's been available, he hasn't been a regular part of Boston's rotation lately.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Downgraded to out
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Pritchard (heel) won't play in Wednesday's game versus the Raptors, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports.
Pritchard will miss his second straight game Tuesday after being downgraded from questionable to out with left heel pain. His next chance to suit up is Friday's rematch with Toronto.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Questionable Wednesday
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Pritchard (heel) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Raptors.
Pritchard was unavailable Tuesday against Philadelphia due to left heel pain, and it's unclear whether he'll be available for the second half of the back-to-back set. If he sits out again Wednesday, Derrick White should continue to see increased run.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Late addition to injury report
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Pritchard is questionable for Tuesday's game against the 76ers due to left heel pain, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Despite not showing up on the injury report, Pritchard hasn't appeared in back-to-back games since Feb. 14 and he's seen action only one time since March 6, so his potential absence Tuesday shouldn't impact Boston's rotation.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Officially ruled out
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Pritchard (heel) won't play in Tuesday's game versus the 76ers, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Pritchard has been downgraded from questionable to out Tuesday due to left heel soreness. His next chance to suit up is Wednesday's matchup with Toronto.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Cleared for action
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Pritchard (heel) is available for Friday's game against the Jazz, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
Pritchard has been upgraded from questionable to available, but he's not guaranteed to see any playing time with Boston's backcourt fully healthy. Over his last four appearances, he's averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Questionable vs. Utah
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Pritchard (heel) is questionable for Friday's game against the Jazz.
Pritchard has missed 10 of the last 11 games due to left heel pain, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to suit up Friday. However, his status shouldn't have a major impact on Boston's rotation.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Won't play Thursday
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Pritchard (heel) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Bucks.
Pritchard will be unavailable for the 10th time in the last 11 matchups due to his left heel pain. It's unclear whether he'll suit up for Friday's matchup against the Jazz, but his status shouldn't significantly impact Boston's rotation either way.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Iffy against Milwaukee
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Pritchard is questionable for Thursday's game versus the Bucks due to left heel pain, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.
Pritchard has already missed nine of the last 10 games with a heel injury and will likely be sidelined for at least one contest during the Celtics' upcoming back-to-back. However, as long as the rest of Boston's backcourt is healthy, his absence shouldn't have a significant impact on head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Gets nine minutes in blowout
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Pritchard (heel) logged five points (2-5 FG, 1-3 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist across nine minutes in Tuesday's 130-111 loss to the Wizards.
Pritchard was cleared to play for the first time since March 6 following a nine-game absence due to left heel soreness, but he wasn't a part of head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation. The third-year guard didn't check into the game until 9:21 remained in the fourth quarter, when Boston was already facing a 22-point lead and essentially conceding defeat. In competitive games in which Boston has all of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon available, Pritchard doesn't look as though he'll be in store for playing time.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Says he'll play Tuesday
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Pritchard (heel) said he'll play Tuesday against the Wizards, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
Pritchard has missed nine straight games due to plantar fasciitis and a bone bruise in his heel, but he's expected to return to action Tuesday. However, he's not guaranteed any playing time in Boston's crowded backcourt, especially with everyone healthy.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Listed as probable
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Pritchard (heel) is probable for Tuesday's game against the Wizards, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.
Pritchard has missed nine straight games due to left heel soreness, but he's on track to suit up Tuesday. However, even if he's cleared, he's not guaranteed to see any playing time in Boston's crowded backcourt.
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard: Downgraded to out
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Pritchard (heel) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Spurs, John Karalis of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.
Pritchard will miss a ninth straight game due to heel soreness. The backup point guard has appeared in just three games since mid-February, so his prolonged absence shouldn't change the way the Celtics have been playing recently.
